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Emmanuel

Matthew
1:23 "Look,
the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him
Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us."

Christmas for me has always been a time of looking up.
Looking up to the stars on a crisp clear winter night,
Searching for angels dancing behind the veil of the northern lights.
Raising my voice in song to a God in heaven
Who loves to hear me sing his praises,
Who loves to hear the thanksgivings of my heart.

Listening for a God somewhere up there
Who yearns to hear my prayers
As I learn to seek his will in me.

For on this night long ago the heavens opened up to the shepherds
And the heavenly hosts threw a party
That guided them to a little babe
Borne of the faithful act of a young woman
Who said "yes" when God held out His hand
And asked her to dance.

Amidst the swirling whisper of skirts and wings,
Amidst the joyous harmony of lutes and lyres,
The shepherds knelt and worshiped.
They worshiped the miracle.
They worshiped the babe borne of a virgin.

They knelt beholding the Shekinah of the Lord,
Beholding the Glory of God
With skin on.

The angels then faded back into the sky from which they came
And the shepherds returned to their flocks
And the world fell silent
For a time.

But this night is different.
On this night, there are no shepherds. There is no party.
On this night, the escalator to heaven is switched off.
On this night, the Creator of the Universe is on His way down.
Quietly down into the cradle of our arms.
Softly down into the manger of our hearts.
Down to snuggle into the souls of all of us who will accept Him.